F1 is entertainment, Olympics is entertainment?

“At the end of the day, F1 is a sport. I don’t understand how it’s called entertainment. By that logic, even the Olympics are entertainment,”

“Unfortunately in India, if it’s not cricket and it’s not an Olympic sport then it’s classified as a non-sport. Formula One is one of the biggest sporting events in the world. It’s sad that our ministers and officials don’t think so,” he added.

Rajan Syal, chief executive of the FMSCI

“We’ve taken a stand of not commenting on the issue till we talk to officials in the ministry ourselves. FMSCI is recognized by the ministry and is also a member of the International Olympic Association. For me, this seems like a non-issue and pertains only to the remittances required for the project,”

Sanjay Sharma, head of motorsports JK Tyres

“This sport has always been patronized by the government. In the 1980s, in the Himalayan Rally, some of the world’s top teams participated and the President used to flag off the rally. The FMSCI is recognized by the government. So what exactly is the issue at hand is a bit unclear,”